<<Tornado warning. Large Magnitude of devastation predicted. Maybe we should revive the weather controller and make him cease the storm. Otherwise, we can aid in the evacuation process, maybe save lives.>>

Lotus InfiniteHero Points: Three > Two.Condition: At the eye of the storm.

Lotus slumped forward, exhausted as she forced the information from the enforcers thoughts, but there was something else behind the mans thoughts. Perhaps his powers attunement to the storm rising around the city, perhaps something else. Though her brow dripped with sweat she moved her hand towards the dealer's forehead, her fingers lightly brushing against his temples. This time she didn't speak, but an eerie green glow emanated from her eyes as she allowed her chi to bore into this dealers petty little mind.

"This enforcer's mind has been conditioned, or a psychic of some small skill has erected psychic blocks within his thoughts. He does work for an Asian organization, he is strictly a soldier, but of potential." Her voice was flat with an ethereal echo as her mind was invading the dealers weak, and frightened psyche. "He oversees the dealers and distributors this organization allows to operate in the territory. The boost addicts, particularly their drug fueled rampages, have been causing issues with the Triads other profits in the areas, cutting into their protection and extortion plans."

Attuned to the thoughts around her, worry and concern over the coming storm flooded her thoughts. Knowing full well that the enforcer caused a windstorm only weeks earlier, she spoke. "One of you thought, very loudly, that our enforcer here may be able to control the storm. I could try to venture deeper into his thoughts, into his inner self, but the petals would present a problem. Someone has fashioned a fortress within his mind into which his consciousness has retreated."

OOC: Going to quickly Mind Scan the dealer, not using Extra Effort this time, so the Difficult is just a Will 20 to procure any useful information. Conscious that she may need to Mind Control the enforcer to use his powers against the tornado, she will use a Hero Point to cancel the fatigue from her earlier extra effort.

"If sacred spaces are spared the ravages of war -- make all places sacred. And if the holy people are to be kept harmless from war -- make all peoples holy." -- Norrin Radd (Silver Surfer: Requiem; J. Michael Straczynski)

The enforcer is not triad, the dealers he deals with are. And it is a hurricane

The dealer is a low level Boost dealer who gets his supply from a man he knows only as 'the asian.' He knows there are other dealers who get their supply from the same man but he does not know who they are. From what you read from the enforcers mind he has never stopped a storm, only started them.

When it looked like Lotus had finished with the enforcer LDM entered the container holding the man. Pulling him up, he slung the weather controller over his shoulder and carried him over to Galatea's van. With one hand he opened the trunk and tossed the prisoner in. All the while he spoke in that hauntingly eerie voice.

"If this guy could create a hurricane, he'd be more than an enforcer. We'll drop him and the dealer off at the police, tell them what we learned, and let them deal with it."

Once the enforcer was tossed inside he looked over at the stone maiden and gestured for her to get in the driver's seat.

The wind has definitely picked up outside but according to the warning the actual storm is still three hours out. The rain makes it difficult to see but you are able to make it to the station easily. They are loading prisoners from the jail next door into vans for evacuation. The young cop from earlier approaches you and takes the dealer into custody. "We can't take him," he says pointing at the enforcer, "Our cuff nullifiers only work for 2 hours. Would it be too much to ask for you guys to take him to Blackmist?" Blackmist Island is just off shore, connected to the mainland by a long bridge. It should not take you more than a half hour to get there.

Savior

It feels good being a hero. You are by the docks, helping an old shopkeeper finish closing up for the hurricane. A young man with a gun suddenly bursts in and demands "Give me all the money in the drawer."

Bradley looked over the prisoners getting moved into vans while he listened to the young detective, and N'KIE's voice in his head. Before speaking though he glanced towards Galatea and gauged her reaction. Then, following the suit's advice his attention came to the detective, a single nod given in acknowledgment of the request. A hand extended towards the man expectantly awaiting the piece of equipment that they lacked. Bradley's reaised his voice to be heard both over the storm winds and Galatea's bad singing.

"Yes, we can do that, if you want to cover the legal end for us. I don't want to show up at the prison only to end up on the inside ... and we'll take those null-cuffs."

Lotus rolled her neck as she pulled some information from the dealers thoughts. "This man is supplied by a distributor known only as 'The Asian', and this distributor also supplies several other dealers, though which exact ones he is unaware of."

Looking around at Ghost and his Armor, and the Statue, she balked at the initial assessment.

"If this guy could create a hurricane, he'd be more than an enforcer."

She spoke softly as she refuted his conclusion. "The man only recently discovered his powers, and the full extent and magnitude may be unknown, even to him. While possible that he cannot control or dissipate a storm of this magnitude, if by his efforts he is able to lessen it's effect such that one innocent life is saved, would you risk that life by not allowing him the attempt?"

She looked long and hard into the dead man's eyes, trying to see if something resembling a soul still resided there.

"If sacred spaces are spared the ravages of war -- make all places sacred. And if the holy people are to be kept harmless from war -- make all peoples holy." -- Norrin Radd (Silver Surfer: Requiem; J. Michael Straczynski)

There wasn't any hostility in Bradley when his assessment was challenged by Lotus. The ghoul's mind was fluid and adaptable, to a point. Then it became hard and inflexible. The eyes that looked back at Lotus were lifeless. Bleak, black, and unwavering in their menacing intensity. But behind them as a man, even if the voice that spoke sounded more like a ghost's.

"I rather not give him the opportunity to make things worse."

A hand that looked to be rotting, with boned exposed, gestured toward the van the stone maiden was driving. A wordless beckoning that discouraged Lotus from keeping them stationary with a violent criminal in a building storm.

"But if you want to see what he can do to help, do it when he's in custody, at the prison. Then precautions can be taken to minimize the risk."

Her eyes grew cold, as her thoughts brushed against the consciousness of all those within the van.

Is it not reasonable to assume that we could limit the damage he is capable of inflicting, he too is at the center of the storm, and while he has the ability to manipulate the weather he doesn't not have an immunity to it's effects.

She sighed as her mental voice continued on.

At least give him the opportunity to redeem himself. You know as well as I, that the authorities will not trust in our ability to limit the damage, and will instead rely on their government services and agencies which failed so dramatically in New Orleans. Are you so dead you are willing to gamble with innocent lives?

"If sacred spaces are spared the ravages of war -- make all places sacred. And if the holy people are to be kept harmless from war -- make all peoples holy." -- Norrin Radd (Silver Surfer: Requiem; J. Michael Straczynski)

N'KIE scanned working memory for a suitable frame of reference, calling up cop shows, detective stories, and police movies. N'KIE found no help in the 'Police Academy' series, despite it's promising name. But eventually the suit was able to come up with aa amalgamation appropriate to this situation.

<<Bradley, a combination of deception and intimidation seems apropos to this scenario. Perhaps tell him that we will release information that he intentionally caused the storm to disrupt the operation of his bosses and that they will make him 'sleep with the fishes' should he allow the storm to continue.>>

The young cop hand Living Dead Man the nullifier cuffs and says "If you think you can get him to weaken this, that would be great. This storm was supposed to hit Texas from what the weather report said this morning. Somehow he pulled it towards him, maybe you can get him to push it away. Be careful though, whatever he did made it stronger too." He walks off with the dealer to where they are loading the other common prisoners onto a van.